Cross country ski trails get mushy and muddy in Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage Alaska's cross country ski trails are quickly dissolving into puddles of meltwater and mud.
While "spring skiing"--which means dodging rocks, puddles, and mush by afternoon or skating over icy patches and frozen mud in the mornings--is becoming the norm, there are still a few places where you can catch fresh tracks in decent snow. One of them, the trail system near Hilltop Ski Area in south Anchorage, is pictured here.
This doesn't mean that the Hilltop trails are immaculate, but there are still snowy patches to be had. The same conditions prevail in other trail loops through town--it's quickly becoming a game of knowing exactly where to go and which turns to make to avoid the mud and water. The volcanic ash so kindly supplied by Redoubt volcano adds an extra element to the mix, and has been widely reported on ski trails throughout the Anchorage area.
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Cross country ski trails get mushy and muddy in Anchorage, Alaska
